Memories of My Little Brother
by btamamura
Summary: Part of my AU series. On Ash's wedding day, Tracey finds himself recalling his fondest memories of his adopted younger brother. Contains Pokeshipping (Ash x Misty) and Starchshipping (Tracey x Cilan), but focuses more on friendship. Shounen-ai warning.


**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Pokemon or the characters. They are the property of Tajiri Satoshi, Nintendo, Game Freak, etc._

**Notes: **_**I wanted to write a fic about Ash and Tracey's brotherly relationship, starting from the day they first met when much younger. So, I did just that. This is from my AU series, so there are no Pokemon.**_

_**This story contains Pokeshipping (Ash x Misty) and Starchshipping (Tracey x Cilan). If you feel offended by those pairings, please leave now. If not, then I hope you enjoy!**_

_First half of the first flashback was iterated to Tracey by his parents when he was a child, otherwise he would not have known exactly how Delia met Marie and Andrew._

_**Marie Sketchit heard a commotion outside, and went to look out the window. "Oh! Andrew, it looks like we have new neighbours," she commented.**_

_**He looked up from the paper at his wife. "Is that so?"**_

_**She nodded. "I was wondering when someone was going to move into that old place, it's been vacant since Tracey had learned how to walk."**_

_**"That has been a while." He set down the paper. "What do you say we do the neighbourly thing and offer to help out?"**_

_**"A fine idea. Tracey's at your mother's at the moment, so we won't be leaving him alone."**_

_**With the decision made, the husband and wife finished their coffees and made their way outside to greet and assist their new neighbour.**_

_**The woman didn't look a day over 20. She was instructing a mover on where to put a large box. She noticed two people approaching her. "Hello, can I help you?"**_

_**"I'm Andrew Sketchit, and this is my wife Marie. We're your next door neighbours."**_

_**"I see. My name is Delia Ketchum."**_

_**"Would you like some assistance in getting your house set up? We'd be glad to help," Marie offered.**_

_**"It's most appreciated, thank you very much."**_

_**Andrew moved over to the truck and helped the movers get the boxes out of the large vehicle and into the house.**_

_**Marie smiled in a friendly manner. "You and I can prepare drinks for all of them, what do you say?"**_

_**"Certainly." She scooped a child out of the stroller beside her. "Come on, Ash, it's almost feeding time."**_

_**The baby boy cooed quietly.**_

_**"Such an adorable baby! Is this your son?" Marie asked as she held a finger near the baby, feeling him grip it.**_

_**"Yes, this is my dear Ash. Do you have any children, Mrs. Sketchit?"**_

_**"**__Marie__** is fine. And yes, we have a son of our own. He's three years old."**_

_**"Is that so?" Delia followed Marie out of her front yard and into Marie's own yard.**_

_**"Yes. His name's Tracey. He's with his grandmother for the day."**_

_**"We'll have to let our two boys meet then, huh?"**_

_**"Indeed we do." Marie opened the door and invited the younger woman inside. "I'm sure they'll grow up to be very good friends."**_

_**"I hope so." She followed Marie into the kitchen, just as Ash started to let out some gentle cries. "Yep, feeding time. I hope you don't mind me feeding my son?"**_

_**"Not at all. I'll get some drinks ready for the men. Would you like a cup of tea or something for after you've fed Ash?"**_

_**"Tea would be nice, thank you." **_

_**"The living room is more comfortable. Sit wherever you like, and feel free to use any of the cushions to help prop Ash up."**_

_**"Thank you." Delia went into the living room, sat in a large armchair and positioned Ash before unbuttoning her shirt.**_

_**Marie smiled fondly as she set about preparing drinks for everyone. She could still remember when her own son was just an infant. How she always held him in her arms and he'd look up at her with such love that she was brought to tears each time. Even these days, whenever she held her son, he'd still look up at her, eyes full of love.**_

_**She brushed away a tear as she thought about it and switched on the kettle.**_

_**Ash had had his fill and was being burped just as Marie entered the living room. She set Delia's tea on the table beside the chair.**_

_**Ash let out a bit of a burp and spit up a little on Delia's shoulder.**_

_**Marie was prepared for that. She used a cloth to help wipe it off of Ash's chin.**_

_**Delia looked up to the older woman. "Would you like to hold him for a while?"**_

_**"I'd love to. Thank you." She accepted the baby, and handed Delia the cloth.**_

_**Delia wiped the spit-up off her shoulder and buttoned her shirt back up. She then picked up her cup of tea and had a sip. "This is lovely. Thank you."**_

_**Marie gently bounced Ash in her arms. "It's quite alright."**_

_**"You look as if you've been crying. Is everything alright?"**_

_**"Oh! Yes, I'm alright. I just got nostalgic earlier. I remembered how Tracey would look at me when I held him as a baby. Even these days, he looks at me the same way. Full of love." She closed her eyes and smiled tenderly. "I was blessed to have such an adoring son."**_

_**"I look forward to meeting him." She heard a sound coming from Ash and giggled. "Sounds like my little boy's about to fall asleep. I'm glad."**_

_**"Hmm?"**_

_**"He only falls asleep in the arms of those he trusts. He must already feel comfortable with you. I'm glad for that." She finished her tea and rose to her feet. She accepted her son and held him close. "I'll meet you outside, I'll go put him into his stroller."**_

_**"Alright." Marie made her way to the kitchen, while Delia left the house. She picked up a tray holding glasses of homemade lemonade and carefully carried it out of the house.**_

_**After all of the boxes had been moved inside, the adults set about putting everything in its proper place, all the while not being disturbed as Ash was still napping.**_

_**Andrew checked his watch. "It's about time Mum brought Tracey home. I'll meet them there while you keep helping Delia, okay, Honey?"**_

_**Marie nodded and shared a quick peck with her husband before he left the house. She turned to Delia and saw she had a wistful expression. "Did we make you uncomfortable, Delia?"**_

_**"No, it's not that. I just miss my husband. He passed away a few months before Ash was born," Delia responded. "But, while I miss him, what upsets me the most is that Ash never had the chance to meet him, and he never had the chance to meet his son."**_

_**"If you don't mind my asking..."**_

_**"It's alright. It was an accident at his workplace. The machinery went faulty and he had a fall. I have to say, it was slightly relieving to know he didn't feel any pain."**_

_**"I'm very sorry to hear that..."**_

_**"Thank you, Marie."**_

_**She placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "If you need anything, anything at all; whether it's a friend to talk to or someone to help look after Ash, you can always come to us. Our door is always open to friends."**_

_**"Thank you very much, Marie. I appreciate the sentiment." She was about to say more, but she heard the knock on the door. "Come in!" she called, knowing that Ash wouldn't wake up from that alone.**_

_**In walked Andrew, and beside him was a boy. Delia figured he must be their son. **_

_**Marie hugged the boy. "How was your day, Tracey?"**_

_**Tracey smiled widely. "It was fun! Nan took me to a fun park and I went on a rollercoaster. Not a big one, a little one. I didn't get sick at all on that one."**_

_**"That's good to hear."**_

_**He looked up at the other woman and ducked behind his mother slightly.**_

_**"I'm sorry, he's shy."**_

_**Delia smiled gently. "It's quite alright." She knelt to his eye-level to try to avoid intimidating him. "Hello there, you must be Tracey, am I right?"**_

_**He nodded, gripping his mother's dress tightly.**_

_**"My name is Delia Ketchum. It's nice to meet you."**_

_**She didn't seem to be scary. He stepped forward slightly, his grip loosening slightly. "Hello, Mrs. Ketchum."**_

_**"Oh no, please don't call me **__Mrs. Ketchum__**, it makes me feel so old!"**_

_**"But, I have to be polite to an adult...can I call you **__Miss Delia __**then?"**_

_**She nodded. "That's fine, dear."**_

_**"Okay. It's nice to meet you too, Miss Delia." Tracey had no idea what he'd started that evening.**_

_**"You know, Tracey, I have a son too."**_

_**"Really?"**_

_**"Yes. He's asleep at the moment, but I can let you meet him tomorrow, if it's okay with your mother."**_

_**Marie nodded. "Like I said, our home is always open to friends. Feel free to bring Ash over anytime, Tracey will be home all day tomorrow."**_

_**Tracey put a finger to his chin. "So, his name is Ash?"**_

_**"That's right," Delia confirmed.**_

_**He was about to say more, but he interrupted himself with a yawn.**_

_**"Hmm, seems you've had a very big day, and are now ready for bed, huh?" Marie asked her son.**_

_**"It would be a good idea to have an early night," Andrew agreed. "We've all been very busy today."**_

_**"Well then, please allow me to show you out this evening," Delia offered as she rose to a standing position. As she led her new friends out of the house, she thanked them once more for their assistance that day. Because of them, it didn't take more than a day to make her new house into a home. They still needed to complete the nursery, but that could wait another day.**_

_**The next day, Delia arrived at the Sketchit's house with a tiny bundle lying in a stroller she was pushing. She pressed the doorbell. **_

_**Marie answered the door. "Hello, Delia, come on in!"**_

_**"Thank you." She pushed the stroller inside the house and into the kitchen, following Marie to where everyone was gathered.**_

_**Tracey had just finished lunch. He was drinking some orange juice when he saw they had company. He finished drinking it and slid off of his seat. He quietly approached the stroller, already been warned that Ash could be asleep or fearful of loud noises. "Hello, Miss Delia."**_

_**"Hello, Tracey. I brought someone for you to meet." She pulled the lid of the stroller back, not worrying about sunlight bothering her son. "This is my son Ash."**_

_**He peered into the stroller and saw a tiny baby. He smiled. "Hello, Ash. I'm Tracey."**_

_**The baby stirred and opened his eyes, revealing they were a dark shade of brown. He grinned slightly and let out a coo and gurgle of delight.**_

_**His smile widened. "He's very cute." He reached in and gently touched Ash's cheek with the back of his index finger, hearing even more cooing and gurgling.**_

_**Ash started to flail his arms as he let out a louder coo. He was smiling widely, his toothless mouth open.**_

_**Delia and Marie knew instantly that the boys were already friends. Ash may have been Tracey's second friend, but Tracey was Ash's first friend, and that was special.**_

_**"I promise I will always look after you like I'm a big brother," Tracey whispered as Ash gripped his fingers, still smiling widely.**_

_**He kept his promise as they both grew up. On Ash's first day of school, Tracey went over to the Ketchum's house. He was welcomed inside instantly and hurried to Ash's room. "Hey, Ash!"**_

_**"Hi, Tracey!" the younger boy replied.**_

_**"Are you ready for your first day of school?"**_

_**He nodded, then shook his head, then shrugged. "I don't know. I am but I'm not."**_

_**"That's okay. School can be boring, but it is also fun, and you can make lots of friends there. I think you might even make a friend today. You are a nice kid after all."**_

_**"But, what if I don't?"**_

_**"I'm still your friend, aren't I? So are Cilan and his brothers. We'll all be there too. If anybody makes you feel sad, let us know and we'll talk to them, okay?"**_

_**"Okay!"**_

_**He hugged the younger boy. "But, I know you'll be fine."**_

_**Ash returned the embrace. "Thanks, Tracey. I'm glad you go to the same school."**_

_**He pulled back and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Come on, let's get going! We're picking up Cilan, Cress and Chili on the way!"**_

_**He nodded and hurried after Tracey.**_

_**Tracey was relieved that Ash's first day at school had gone so well. What was better...he'd made a new friend! A young girl named Misty. He listened as Ash kept telling him about what he and Misty had done in class that day and smiled. He ruffled Ash's hair again. "Glad you had a good first day. So, nobody picked on you?"**_

_**"Nope!"**_

_**"That's good."**_

_**Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out a piece of paper. "We were told to draw something today. I want to give this to you."**_

_**"Me?" He accepted it and saw a picture of two boys standing in the grass and smiling. There was a smaller boy and a taller boy, both with differing hairstyles.**_

_**"Teacher said to give it to my big brother. So, I'm giving it to you."**_

_**Tears welled in his eyes.**_

_**"Tracey? Did I do something wrong?"**_

_**He gripped Ash in a tight embrace. "I'm your big brother?"**_

_**"Of course! You've been my friend since I was a baby, and you always look out for me. So, you're my big brother."**_

_**"Thank you, Ash. Thank you."**_

_**After Tracey was taken in by Delia following the death of his parents, he and Ash became even closer. While he knew nobody would take Cilan's place as his very best friend, Ash was always going to be his little brother. **_

_**After Cilan had gone back home once assured that Tracey was able to mourn without putting himself through harm (by missing sleep and meals), he'd left it to Ash to take care of Tracey. And he did just that.**_

_**If Tracey ever looked like he was going to start crying, Ash would hug him tightly and stay with him. He tried to get Tracey to play with him when he seemed lonely. He sometimes shared the bed with the older boy to help him sleep easier if he had nightmares.**_

_**He was very young and was still learning to understand how grief worked. But, everything he did was helping Tracey through the difficult time, he knew that much at least.**_

_**In high school, both boys had noticed something concerning their relationships with their friends. They seemed to be shifting into different feelings.**_

_**It happened to Tracey first. Halfway through their third year, he and Cilan confessed their feelings to each other and shared their first kiss. They were anxious about telling their families, even though they knew deep down that they would be accepted.**_

_**"Ash, Miss Delia...Cilan and I...are a couple. We finally admitted our feelings to each other," Tracey stated as he held Cilan's hand tightly.**_

_**Ash simply rose from his seat, stepped over to them and wrapped his arms around both of them. "I knew it would happen sooner or later! Congratulations, you two!"**_

_**Delia sat there, the words being processed in her mind. She slowly started to smile. "I should've known this was coming. You two have always been especially close to each other. Congratulations."**_

_**Ash continued to hug the happy couple tightly and repeated his congratulations. He knew his big brother finally realised that the one to bring him happiness was always beside him since they were children. He started to think to himself that it was about time he took the plunge and admitted his own feelings to someone special. But...how?**_

_**Two months later, it was Ash and Misty's turn to announce their good news. They were both holding hands. "Mum, Trace, Cilan...we finally did it. We're a couple now," Ash spoke.**_

_**Before they knew it, they were smothered in embraces from one very happy mother, one very happy big brother and one very happy boyfriend of said big brother. "It's about time, you two!" Tracey commented with a laugh.**_

As he stood by Ash's side as best man on the day of the younger man's wedding, he found he'd never been more proud of his little brother than on the day he finally said _I do_ to the girl he'd loved for so long.

He made that clear with his speech at the reception. "I've known Ash since he was just a two-month-old infant, and I can say that he is the most loving person I have ever known. I'm honoured to have him as my younger brother, and I am honoured to have his wife Misty as my younger sister. May the years be good to them, and may their relationship always be strong. A toast to Ash and Misty Ketchum! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone rose their glasses in agreement to the toast.

Ash and Misty were getting ready to leave for their honeymoon. "Hold on, I've got to speak to Tracey," Ash said to his wife.

Misty smiled knowingly and nodded. "Alright, Ash." She watched her husband seek him out.

Ash jogged over to Tracey. "Hey, Trace?"

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Thank you. For everything. For being my big brother all these years, for being my best man at my wedding, for...well, just for being with me since I was a baby."

He embraced him and patted his back a couple of times before gently pushing him back so he could look into his eyes. "I've never been more proud than to have such an incredible younger brother. If anything, Ash, I owe you many thanks. You've always been there. I still remember how you looked at me when we first met, that wide grin on your face and those happy sounds you'd made. I knew at that moment that we were always going to be friends." He patted his shoulders. "Now, you should go and be with your wife, you both need to say goodbye to Miss Delia."

"You're right. See you when we get back."

"I look forward to it." He watched as Ash hurried back to his wife and heard footsteps behind him. "I can't believe he's all grown-up now."

Cilan wrapped an arm around Tracey's shoulder and held him tightly. "I know, love."

"But, you know what, he hasn't really changed. He still has that same look in his eyes."

"Look in his eyes?"

"Yeah. You can tell he considers you to be close to him just by the shine in his eyes. Only four people have ever seen it. Miss Delia, Misty, you...and myself."

"Because you're his big brother, and that will never change."

He let out a wistful sigh and leaned against his boyfriend. "I bet Miss Delia is saying this right now...but he's always going to be my little Ash."

"I'm sure of it, Trace. Now, let's go bid the newlyweds _bon voyage_, shall we?"

He nodded. "Yes, let's." He held Cilan's hand and walked beside him, finding himself once again remembering the times he'd spent with Ash growing up.


End file.
